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voice + words / Ira Glass + David Shiyang Liu

Ira Glass's advice to people dipping their big toe into the pool of creative endeavors, just starting down the twisty path of following a creative lifestyle, has me completely inspired this week. I've been thinking a lot lately about the conscious decision to be a creative person, to follow that artistic instinct. It takes gumption and guts (maybe those are synonyms?) and a smidge of crazy.

One of my favorite things about teaching so far is the opportunity to interact with people—my students—who have made the recent decision to lead creative lives in a very definite and concrete way. Their fear of inadequacy is palpable, but every class I catch a glimpse of the twinkle in their eyes and the fire in their bellies. And that enthusiasm is infectious.

You know who Ira Glass is, right?! He's the voice (and a lot of the brainpower) behind This American Life, one of the most popular weekly radio shows on NPR. You can listen to many of the episodes online. Here and here are two of my favorites.

The fantastic video above was made by filmmaker David Shiyang Liu. I came across it via the always interesting Brain Pickings.